THE COMMON AND ROUGHLEGGED-BUZZARDS 119 



movement of the ground. Frogs, reptiles, and mice seem to form the 

 staple diet of this species. But grasshoppers and other insects are 

 eaten, and the spines of the hedgehog have also been taken from the 

 stomach. The larder round the nest affords a good index of the diet, 

 and even where there are young to be fed birds are conspicuous 

 by their absence. Besides, writers from Macgillivray onwards have 

 enlarged on the benefits conferred by this species in killing of weakly 

 individuals of all kinds, and the consequent advantage of a pair or 

 two of buzzards on grouse moors. Its rough-legged kinsman seems, 

 however, to prefer larger game ; for rabbits it evinces a decided 

 partiality ; water-fowl are also eaten ; but so also are reptiles and 

 frogs, while on the Continent lemmings furnish no inconsiderable 

 portion of its daily fare. 



Of the courting habits of these birds we know nothing. With 

 the common buzzard, at any rate, the male " takes a share in the 

 incubation, and both sexes take part in the feeding of the young. If 

 the hen be killed the male will carry on the work of feeding his off- 

 spring alone, wherein he differs from the sparrow-hawk, which, in like 

 circumstances, seems always able to immediately provide himself with 

 another mate, who at once takes up the work in hand whether the 

 later stages of incubation or of feeding the offspring. The young, as 

 probably with all Raptorial birds, accompany their parents for some 

 time after they leave the nest, while they at first gather strength, 

 and later instruction in the art of capturing and killing prey. And in 

 this connection it should be noted that fish-eating hawks and eagles 

 do not seem to adopt any method of speedily killing their prey, but 

 begin to tear it in pieces at the most convenient place. Such as feed 

 on warm-blooded animals, on the other hand, seem invariably to kill 

 the victim at once, either nipping with the beak or thrusting the great 

 hind claw into the brain. This, doubtless, is done, not from any 

 intention of putting the victim out of pain, but rather to prevent its 

 escape. 



The common buzzard displays an unusually strong development 

 of the maternal instinct, and of this there are numerous proofs. The 



